Many years ago, Jordan Peterson shared 40 valuable things everyone should know to answer a question on Quora. While the applicability of these points will differ for everyone, there are sixteen of them that I tend to use on a daily basis at work and it has had a profound impact on the opportunities, privileges, and responsibilities that I have been able to assume. Some of these I learned at a young age. Others were learned much later in life.
In today's much longer than usual show, I outline these sixteen rules, why I use them, and how it might be useful for others to at least consider these very basic principles and how they might be applied elsewhere.
Question: What are the most valuable things everyone should know?
1. Tell the truth.
2. Do not do things that you hate.
4. Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient.
5. If you have to choose, be the one who does things, instead of the one who is seen to do things.
6. Pay attention.
7. Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you need to know. Listen to them hard enough so that they will share it with you.
11. Make at least one thing better every single place you go.
13. Do not allow yourself to become arrogant or resentful.
16. Work as hard as you possibly can on at least one thing and see what happens.
19. Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions or artistic achievement.
24. Nothing well done is insignificant.
25. Set your house in perfect order before you criticise the world.
27. Be precise in your speech.
33. Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated.
37. Don't let bullies get away with it.
Thank you for listening.